I Remember - One-Shot
by riverknowshisname
Summary: Prompt from gwhiteverlark on Tumblr: Katniss taking Peeta into the woods of district 12 for the first time!


Katniss woke up bright and early, she was used to this, and usually she'd wake up to Peeta gone in the morning. He was trying to help rebuild the bakery, and the rest of town with the few District 12 people that came back, this morning however he was curled up into a ball beside her. He's finally agreed to go to the meadow with her, and even though he looked peacefully asleep - and neither of them had slept well the night before - she woke up anyways.

Leaning forward she gently kisses him on the cheek and he smiles. "I could get used to this," he mumbles.

"Come on," she quickly kisses him on the mouth. "Clothes. Meadow. Arrows."

"Are you just listing things now?" he laughed while stretching, so it took on an unusual sound. "I've got clothes, I don't have them on right _now_, but I have them. The meadow? Unfortunately, that won't fit in the house." Katniss placed her hands on her hips and stared down at him. "And arrows, well, I don't know where you keep those things."

"In my underwear drawer," she laughed.

"Yeah," Peeta laughed with her. "I'd be a bit more interested if I didn't know, for a _fact_, that you have too many made to fit into a simple drawer."

"Oh, whatever," she hops out of bed.

"Well," he says looking at her. "I could get used to this, too."

Spinning she throws the pillow at him. "Oh, get dressed."

Laughing Peeta gets up and leaves to the bathroom. "Gonna take a shower, wanna come?"

"No time!" she hollers rushing after him, yanking a shirt and pair of pants from off the floor. "No time to shower. Light. Sun. Now, we need to go now."

"_Why_ are you talking so strangely today?" he asks.

"I haven't had anyone with me in that meadow since Gale," she sighs. "And well, I'm just glad it will be you this time, so _come on._" She shoves the clothes in his arms. "Get dressed."

"So where do you keep your arrows?" he asks genuinely curious.

"Out in a hollowed log," she shakes her head. "Well, not exactly, but come on!"

"Fine," says Peeta pulling the pants and shirt on.

Once they've made it to where there used to be a fence, Haymitch himself tore a great deal of it down, said there's no reason to feel so trapped anymore.

"Okay," says Katniss spinning to him. "This has to be special, this has to mean something. What do you remember about the meadow - you know, from before?"

"It's where you spent a lot of time with Gale," he shrugs.

"That's the only thing you remember?" she asks him.

"Jealousy is one of those emotions, that has an ironclad grip on your memory," he shakes his head. "Does this sound familiar, 'so are you two together now or are they still dragging out the whole star-crossed lovers thing'?"

"Okay," she nods. "I understand that. I was jealous when Delly could talk to you. I was jealous that you didn't hate anyone else. I was jealous that you thought your life wasn't worth it."

"What?" he looks at her in surprise.

"On our way to the Capitol," she throws her hands up and then plants them quickly on a tree wrapping around it to grab the bows and arrows. "You kept asking me to just let you die, or to let someone else kill you. You thought that was the easy way out. I'd have done it, but then there was you. I don't know, I guess I just couldn't stand the thought of you being in this world without me . . . or vise versa."

"Katniss," says Peeta slowly.

"Here," she shoves a bow and sheath of arrows at him. "Let's see what you've got."

"You," says Peeta with a smile. "I've got you." Then he gently sets the bow and arrows on the ground. Walking to her he wraps his arms around her and she melts into him. "I'm still here."

"But I lost you," she coughs. "I never should have left you at that tree!"

"Yeah," sighs Peeta. "I've noticed you take the old tapes and watch that movie sometimes. I don't think that's healthy. I didn't want the Games to change me, and I guess more or less they didn't, but like it or not, we did get separated. Snow did hijack me. And I did lose some memories. But that's one of the things I love most about you," he kisses her forehead after smoothing back her hair. "_You_ help me remember."

"But you lost so much," she shakes her head.

"Not what really matters," he shakes his head and then gives her a gentle squeeze. "I remember the bread. You asking me to leave the district. All of those nights on the train. The rooftop before the Quell. 'I just want to spend every possible moment of the rest of my life with you.'"

"You remembered that?" she looks up at him, tears in her eyes.

"I remember after I died in the arena," he laughs lightly, "you wouldn't let me move for the longest time, even though I said I was alright. You didn't leave me in that fog. You had my back just like I did yours when those monkey's came around. And on the beach, you said you needed me."

"I do," she says no longer holding in the tears. "I do need you."

"We didn't have a choice at that tree, Katniss," he says softly. "You and I both know we didn't have a choice. No I don't think they would have turned on us, they needed us, but we didn't know that. So we split up. We lost each other. _But,_" he empasizes, "we found each other. We've got each other. We wouldn't be where we are now if it weren't for that first Games."

"No," says Katniss shaking her head and meeting his gaze, "it was that bread you gave me. It taught me how to hope again. And ultimately the odds were in my favor. Because, here we are. Right here. In _this_ spot. Together."

"You ever ask me to run away with you again," says Peeta smiling and wiping the tears from her face, "just say the world. I'll come with you. _Always_."


End file.
